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Paperiapina — Dragon design bits UPDATED

Published: 2012-03-15 20:34:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 16920; Favourites: 588; Downloads: 140
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Description Okay, I'm uploading this mainly because of completely personal reasons. You know, dragons are usually seen as six limbed monsters, they have two sets of front limbs, one of them being the wings, and the average hind limbs. For at least few years it has been my personal goal to figure out how to design a dragon that would use the hind limbs instead for the purpose of flying.

So, for me personally, this kind of feels like a conquer. Like my creature design skills just took a level in badass.

Umh, I'm just gonna roll in this feeling for a while in this corner here. Just a little while. Just until this gets awkward.

(I kind of want to make a character out of this now.)

Kind of inspired by a real life prehistoric creature named Sharovipteryx (because real nature always knows how to go neener neener on me). I just made it a power flyer dragon instead of a glider.

EDIT:
Added another paper. Some fine tuning with the design since yesterday. Also seems like it mysteriously spawned itself a commentary, in Papermonkey style.
Stiff spine with virtually non-bendable torso. Tail bendable, but not prehensile (horizontal movement easier than vertical). Haven't decided on size yet, but will not be bigger than an average horse. Most probably not even that.

EDIT2: 20.3.
Continuing with two new pages worth of scribbles. The head was rather challenging to design, can you tell? I think I like it now. Just need to learn to draw it. (The horns are for display, not for poking others. They are probably brightly colored.)
FAAAAAAACE!

Looks like I'm dumping here the entire design process. Umh, bear with me?

EDIT3: 25.3.
Two new pages worth of ponderings! Stuff like feet (or hands, actually, as all the walking limbs are technically arms), body covering and other random.

I actually also tried to put together a scientific-ish name for the thing. It's hereby Alapes scarabaeos. Or actually Älapës scarabaeös, the umlauted letters are held longer when pronounced. It is kind of blocky, as far as I understand, but it should mean something like "beetle-faced footwing". (All Latin, äla=wing, pës=foot, scarabae|us=beetle, ös=face) Just browsed my dictionary and sticked together words -without bending them- that made some sense and didn't make terrible pronouncing monsters. I mean, just try to stick "scarabaeus" together with something like "caput" (head) and make it sound like a single word. (Psst, if anyone knows how to mash together the Latin name properly, I do appreciate help if any of you knows better. In case I failed hard.)
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Comments: 181

pupusukka [2012-03-20 19:48:21 +0000 UTC]

Jee, hän sai naamankin

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D-Rock92 In reply to ??? [2012-03-20 19:47:12 +0000 UTC]

Impressed. It's good to draw inspiration from things around you.

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Shade-of-the-Night In reply to ??? [2012-03-20 19:43:39 +0000 UTC]

I enjoy watching you design process, iti s not only entertaining but educational as we see how the anatomy works.

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PraiseMoyer [2012-03-20 19:35:35 +0000 UTC]

This design is the most original draconic thing I've seen in years. Go you! I love seeing the process as it happens, too.

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Rollinlol95 [2012-03-20 19:11:56 +0000 UTC]

That head it's just amazing *.*
The whole design?...EPIC!!!!

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Desmodeus [2012-03-20 19:05:36 +0000 UTC]

Stuff like this is cool. I enjoy seeing a design process as much as the final piece. (So I shall refrain from favouriting it until you're done! )

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TessuSaysHi [2012-03-20 19:01:45 +0000 UTC]

Ooo, se on hieno!

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AnimalAddict31 [2012-03-20 18:58:19 +0000 UTC]

LOVE the face. I wonder what colors these would be, now. x3

Keep on "dumping" the design process, please. This is very entertaining. xD

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RacecarArt In reply to ??? [2012-03-20 18:52:31 +0000 UTC]

I love seeing your progress for this species/fellow. And the rhinoceros beetle face is adorable!

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CajesTheTabby In reply to ??? [2012-03-20 18:32:49 +0000 UTC]

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace

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Diandora [2012-03-20 18:32:29 +0000 UTC]

This is absolutely amazing. Not only the process itself, but also the way you make this so amusing ^^

GREAT!

Oh, and I really love the beetle-design!

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DaikiTheWolfTIC [2012-03-20 18:32:26 +0000 UTC]

FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCEEEEEE!!!!

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purpurariuscaligo [2012-03-20 18:32:08 +0000 UTC]

Yay he got a face Hieno lisko siitä tuli

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DragonchildX [2012-03-20 18:31:29 +0000 UTC]

How does it fly?

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Cloudbat [2012-03-20 18:19:22 +0000 UTC]

Eeeee, so interesting.

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SpyderDrygon In reply to ??? [2012-03-18 03:17:55 +0000 UTC]

dang! those emoticons did not work! > < this one did tho!

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SpyderDrygon [2012-03-18 03:13:28 +0000 UTC]

Do these wings make my but look big?
[link]
Awesome design!
Now give da poor purty dragon a face!
[link]

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Cloudbat [2012-03-17 18:13:03 +0000 UTC]

XD I'm not sure whether to be more impressed by the effort put into this or more amused by its hilariousness.

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wulf-demon [2012-03-17 00:05:54 +0000 UTC]

Is this gonna be that character with some weird backstory that explains why they're faceless and the only thing they ever wanted in life was a face? O.O

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DaikiTheWolfTIC [2012-03-16 23:39:57 +0000 UTC]

aww poor no face :c

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musigal [2012-03-16 22:52:05 +0000 UTC]

This started an interesting internet road trip for me, ending at treeosaur.com
I have spent my day well.

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Phasellus [2012-03-16 22:13:42 +0000 UTC]

Yay! Edit! :D Really do enjoy seeing the process of character design.

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Devinital [2012-03-16 21:05:15 +0000 UTC]

I really like the concept and design: its very unique! And it makes sense when you think of aerial design.

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AwesomeTheAmazing [2012-03-16 20:41:41 +0000 UTC]

But still no face hehe Awesome designs

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babbletrish [2012-03-16 18:41:26 +0000 UTC]

A Sharovipteryx-inspired dragon?!

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CajesTheTabby [2012-03-16 18:34:57 +0000 UTC]

Aaaw poor guy is still faceless >w<

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TheLovelyChemist [2012-03-16 17:36:36 +0000 UTC]

;A; facceee

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SeaSuds [2012-03-16 16:00:27 +0000 UTC]

Awww...now you have to help me make my spider dragon that both walks and flies with the same 8 limbs :<

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-03-16 16:54:19 +0000 UTC]

Eee, can I? I'd LOVE to play with a wing concept like that.

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-17 07:25:37 +0000 UTC]

Ok then I'll make you a deal, if you can help me design my spider dragon I'll draw your new dragon when he's finished :3

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-03-20 20:52:40 +0000 UTC]

Sounds good to me!
Would any of this feel like anything you had in mind? [link]

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-22 16:54:15 +0000 UTC]

Oh very close! This was the doodle I had been working with but I'm no good with anatomy. I wanted it to resemble a spider when it walked too(I want this to be a very creepy dragon )[link]

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-03-22 18:04:14 +0000 UTC]

I like how those legs bend. If you want to give the wing limbs extra length, you can always have a spindly finger that it can bend against the arm. Like have you seen bats resting? You'd never guess how big their wings actually are when they are bent back, they fit right next to the arm. (the joints of the wing fingers are often arranged so that they can bend with the wing arm)
If you want to make them look spindlier, you can borrow other stuff from bats too. They have these thin muscle strings all over their wing membranes that allow them to adjust the wing shape. Maybe the dragon could had something similar to pull the membrane higher against the arms/body when walking? The membrane is living tissue, so it is elastic to some extent anyway.

(I support the creepy!)

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-22 19:00:18 +0000 UTC]

Ok, so the actual membrane would tuck under the belly like this? membrane (only probably a lot closer to the belly then in this picture) with him walking on the wing-claw? or was it something else you had in mind?

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-03-22 19:23:01 +0000 UTC]

Not necessarily under the belly, but stretch it closer to arms/sides. Maybe kinda like flying squirrels tuck the wing flaps next to their bodies when not in use. (Maybe not completely next to the body in the dragon's case, but closer.) It's just a suggestion. It's pretty much just whether you like the legs look webbed or... umh, less webbed?

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-25 17:57:43 +0000 UTC]

Still working on the spider legs but for now I just wanted to make sure I have the anatomy on your dragon right...for some reason the wings where easy but the legs are giving me jip D: [link]

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-03-25 21:16:12 +0000 UTC]

You're really drawing it? Eeeee! Thank yous so much!
It might be easier to think of all the legs it walks on as arms. It actually doesn't have hind feet at all, those were made into the wings. It's got two pair of arms, the front one straight below it, and the second pair in an angle, so that the butt rests on its elbows. I just updated some more sketches I had made during the weekend, I hope they are of some help.
(And thank yous again, you have no idea of how happy it makes me to see my creatures actually drawn by other people. It's really amazing.)

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-31 21:48:19 +0000 UTC]

OOookay, finally got time to get back to your picture, I fixed the legs, hopefully they work better this way [link]

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Paperiapina In reply to SeaSuds [2012-04-02 14:12:51 +0000 UTC]

That's brilliant! Haha, I love it!

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SeaSuds In reply to Paperiapina [2012-03-26 05:36:00 +0000 UTC]

ah ok! ...that actually makes a whole lot more sense now See...keep it simple for stupid! (yup, i'm stupid XD)

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Rollinlol95 [2012-03-16 15:44:54 +0000 UTC]

Haha, you should add a face XD

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Mesheme [2012-03-16 14:40:20 +0000 UTC]

i love that it is all like thax for the cool bad and all .....'.BUT please sere i would like a face.' lol XD i almost wont this to be a running gag XD for this caricature! love your art as always.

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kippycube [2012-03-16 13:44:25 +0000 UTC]

Uuh, haluan nähdä tämän otuksen valmiina!

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blackwingsspreadwide [2012-03-16 12:38:46 +0000 UTC]

Shark tail, t-rex pelvis, dragon wings... Love!

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blackSvartur [2012-03-16 11:28:52 +0000 UTC]

I really like this!

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Blader3000 [2012-03-16 11:25:43 +0000 UTC]

Yup, that dragon needs a face.

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Luniwenor [2012-03-16 10:01:25 +0000 UTC]

all i could say is probably it would look way better with jsut 1 big front pair of limbs, instaed of 2, as it looks way too awkward xD but its just me. will be interesting to see the final character u make out of this one

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Paperiapina In reply to Luniwenor [2012-03-16 12:50:40 +0000 UTC]

Pff, that wouldn't be as much fun.
Thanks!

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Blackinkbarbarian [2012-03-16 07:23:39 +0000 UTC]

I love your dragon design. Keep up the good work

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KigerwolfRD [2012-03-16 06:32:46 +0000 UTC]

That's awesome (the over view POV looks incredible!). I'm curious now what a face would look like on it... But great idea over all! I never would've thought to make the hind legs wings.

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